Innovate UK launches £3.7m battery innovation programme

Funded by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and delivered by Innovate UK, up to £3.7 million will be invested to establish or scale regional skills initiatives for battery manufacturing, ensuring the UK continues to attract businesses looking to grow and invest by offering a strong pipeline of highly skilled talent across battery manufacturing and the wider value chain.

• The competition will support projects that:
• Establish a new regional training initiative with a focus on national qualifications (levels 2 to 3) to ensure learners can train and work across the UK. 
• Scale up existing regional battery skills provision to deliver commercially sustainable, nationally accredited programmes (levels 2 to 5) that strengthen the UK’s battery skills pipeline. The programmes should accelerate existing skills initiatives and address known skills gaps by collaborating with current provision in innovative, commercially viable ways.

The competition includes two strands:

•  Establish: for skills levels 2 to 3 total grant request between £440,000 and £1.2 million for projects lasting 1 to 3 years.
•  Scale: for skills levels 2 to 5 total grant request between £440,000 and £1.2 million for projects lasting 1 to 3 years.

 To work alone or lead a collaborative project, organisations must be an academic institution, a research and technology organisation (RTO), a charity, a not-for-profit or a public sector organisation.

Innovate UK's Dr Valentina Gentili, programme director, battery innovation programme said: “As the UK battery sector accelerates, the Battery Innovation Programme recognises that gaps in specialist skills still hold back growth. With our expanded remit across automotive, aerospace, off‑highway, energy storage and maritime, we aim to back projects that develop the skilled people industry needs across the entire value chain. We are especially keen to support collaborations that address regional demand and help businesses continue to see the UK as the place to invest and scale.”

The competition closes on 18th June 2026.

To find out more, attend the online briefing event and to apply visit:

https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/2449/overview/34dd1264-cf19-4a9b-90bf-755e413085a5